Introit

Collect

O God, who manifest your almighty power
above all by pardoning and showing mercy,
bestow, we pray, your grace abundantly upon us
and make those hastening to attain your promises
heirs to the treasures of heaven.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen. 

First Reading Am 6:1a, 4-7

Thus says the Lord, the God of hosts: 1 “Alas for those who are at ease in Zion, and for those who feel secure on Mount Samaria! 4 “Alas for those who lie on beds of ivory, and lounge on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock, and calves from the stall; 5 who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp, and like David improvise on instruments of music; 6 who drink wine from bowls, and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph! 7 “Therefore they shall now be the first to go into exile, and the revelry of those who lie in ease shall pass away.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 146:7, 8-9, 9-10

Second Reading 1 Tm 6:11-16

As for you, Timothy, man of God; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, 14 I charge you to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will bring about at the right time. 15 He is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. 16 It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honour and eternal dominion. Amen.

Acclamation before the Gospel  cf. 2 Cor 8:9

 

Gospel Lk 16:19-31

Jesus told this parable to those among the Pharisees who loved money: 19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. 22 “The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. 24 He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.’ 25 “But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. 26 Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’ 27 “The man who had been rich said, ‘Then, father, I beg you to send Lazarus to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers— that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’ “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’ 30 He said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 Abraham said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

Catena Nova

So then, you rich who have wisdom, apply yourselves to this business… Why let yourselves be transfixed by diamonds and emeralds, by houses that fire devours, time destroys, or earthquakes throw down? Aspire for nothing other than to dwell in the heavens and reign with God.  (St. Clement of Alexandria) 

You, who think that you have a healthy hand, beware lest it is withered by greed or by sacrilege. Hold it out often. Hold it out to the poor person who begs you. Hold it out to help your neighbor, to give protection to a widow, to snatch from harm one whom you see subjected to unjust insult. Hold it out to God for your sins. (St. Ambrose of Milan)

Was that poor man welcomed by the angels solely on account of his poverty?  And the rich man, was he delivered up to torment by fault of his wealth alone? No.  Let us clearly understand that it was humility that was honored in the poor man and pride condemned in the rich. This is the proof, briefly, that it was not his wealth but his pride for which the rich man deserved his punishment.   So then, the poor man was carried into the bosom of Abraham, yet Scripture says of Abraham that he had much gold and silver and was rich on earth (Gn 13:2)…. Learn to be poor and needy, then, whether you possess something in this world or whether you don’t possess anything…. God looks at what is within, it is there He assesses, there He examines. (St. Augustine of Hippo)

Recall the story of how Abraham actually ran after a stranger passing by and almost dragged him to his tent so he could show him hospitality. By contrast the rich man ignored a poor and sick person lying right at his door. He had within his grasp a great treasure, the very opportunity to win salvation! He ignored it day after day. He could have helped but he didn’t…. This is true for you and me! If you are eager to welcome famous or distinguished people you don’t do anything out of the ordinary…. Throughout the Gospel Christ speaks a great deal about “little people” and those of no social importance or standing. That’s how Abraham conducted himself too. He didn’t ask who travelers were or where they came from. He didn’t act like us! He simply welcomed people. (St. John Chrysostom)

“Abraham was very rich,” Scripture tells us (Gn 13:2)… My brethren, Abraham wasn’t rich for himself but for the poor, rather than keeping hold of his fortune, he intended to share it…This man, who was himself a stranger, did not hesitate to do all he could so that the stranger might not feel himself to be a stranger.  Living in a tent, he was unable to let a passer-by remain without shelter.  Perpetual traveller, he unfailingly welcomed the travellers who came his way…  Far from taking his ease in God’s bounty, he knew himself called to spread it abroad, he used it to protect the oppressed, set prisoners free, even to snatch those about to die from their fate (Gn 14:14)…  Abraham did not sit but remained standing before the stranger he had received.   He was not his guest’s host but made himself his servant.   Forgetting that he was master in his own home, he himself brought the food and, concerned that it should be carefully prepared, called on his wife.   Where he himself was concerned he relied entirely on his servants, but for the stranger he had received he thought it barely enough to entrust it to his wife’s skill. (St. Peter Chrysologus)

Jesus, we recall, has been criticized for welcoming outcasts and sinners; now it appears that what he’s doing is putting into practice in the present world what, it was widely believed, would happen in the future one. ‘On earth as it is in heaven’ remains his watchword. The age to come must be anticipated in the present. The point is then that the Pharisees, being themselves lovers of money, were behaving to the people Jesus was welcoming exactly like the rich man was behaving to Lazarus. And, just as the steward was to be put out of his stewardship, and was commended for taking action in the nick of time to prevent total disaster, so the Pharisees, and anyone else tempted to take a similar line, are now urged to change their ways while there is still time. All Jesus is asking them, in fact, is to do what Moses and the prophets would have said. As Luke makes clear throughout, his kingdom-mission is the fulfillment of the whole story of Israel. Anyone who understands the law and the prophets must therefore see that Jesus is bringing them to completion. (N.T. Wright)

The poor are not recipients of our pastoral care, but creative subjects who challenge us to find novel ways of living out the Gospel today. In the face of new forms of impoverishment, we can risk becoming hardened and resigned. Each day we encounter poor or impoverished people. We too may have less than before and are losing what once seemed secure: a home, sufficient food for each day, access to healthcare and a good education, information, religious freedom and freedom of expression. In promotion of the common good, our social responsibility is grounded in God’s creative act, which gives everyone a share in the goods of the earth. Like those goods, the fruits of human labor should be equally accessible to all. Helping the poor is a matter of justice before a question of charity. (Pope Leo XIV)

Homily

In the annals of charity undertaken by religious figures, the church in North America can point with great satisfaction to a number of stellar examples.  I think of the Philadelphia heiress, St. Katharine Drexel, who founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament and placed her fortune at the service of African American and Native American peoples.  Among many other things, she  founded Xavier University of Louisiana in 1925, the United States’ only historically black Roman Catholic institution of higher education.  Closer to home, there’s Ven. Fr. Nelson Baker, a priest of the Diocese of Buffalo, founder of a “city of charity” that included by the time of his death in 1936 an infant home, a home for unwed mothers, a boys' orphanage, a hospital, a nurses' house, and a grade and high school.  These continue on as the Our Lady of Victory Charities and Human Services.  

North of the border, St. Margaret D’Youville, founder of the Grey Nuns, opened the General Hospital of Montreal in 1747 and St. Marguerite Bourgeoys, founded the Notre Dame Sisters of Montreal, which educated young girls, the poor, and children of First Nations until shortly before her death in early 1700. 

Despite such heroes of charity, I venture to say not one of them would be able to do what they did today — in education, health care, service to the poor — and for the simple reason that the State has taken over much of what had been the traditional purview of the church.  That and the complexities of life today would make founding any of the institutions I mentioned nearly impossible in the developed world.  Nevertheless, countless congregations and other organizations of all denominations render service via soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters and hospices.  

But on larger scale matters, the church has turned to public policy advocacy with the ever-growing body of Catholic social teaching as guide.  Issues ranging from racism, to labor relations, to welfare reform, to just wages, to climate change, to health care, have all have been the topic of countless statements emanating from offices of the hierarchy, both collectively and individually.  

And all this teaching and advocacy is a way of identifying the form Lazarus is taking today, sitting by our door, so often ignored by the wealthy and privileged classes — those whom the prophet Amos aptly describes as, Lying upon beds of ivory, stretched comfortably on their couches (I).  And perhaps Lazarus’ clearest guise in the United States can be found in those many people at the “door” of our southern border seeking relief from poverty and political oppression.  What more timely gospel could we have then in light of the latest spectacles of how such people are being treated? 

Mind you, it's been reassuring to hear a few bishops raise their voices in protest at the latest draconian maneuvers by politicians — though I wait for the day when Catholic politicians are called out by name with the same zeal others have been for their non-compliance with Catholic teaching.  Fortunately, like his predecessor, Pope Leo has taken up the mantle of advocacy on behalf of migrants — which for him is nothing new.  Already as bishop of Chiclayo, Peru he said,

 

Intercessions (Joe Milner; The Sunday Website)

For the Church: that we may be a people of virtue and profess with both our words and deeds God’s love for and presence with the human family.

For all disciples of Jesus: that we may put on the mind of Christ and open the gates that isolate and protect us from all who are suffering or who disturb our complacency.

For all who are chained by their possessions: that God will free their hearts and open them to value life, relationships, and service.

For all who live in complete poverty, particularly orphaned children, those who live on the streets, and for those recovering from natural disasters: that God will open new possibilities for them and open our eyes to see the needs that exist.

For a closing of the abyss between rich and poor in our cities, nation, and the world: that we may use our time, talent, and treasure to develop new opportunities for the poor and marginalized around us.

For all who care for the poor and needy: that God will guide them to recognize the person who is before them and help them to share God’s love with them.

For healing in our cities and neighborhoods: that Spirit of God will free us from the shackles of racism and guide us in finding new ways to promote the common good.

For all who are suffering from climate change: that God will guide us in finding ways to stabilize the environment and protect those who are at risk.

For peace: that God will touch hearts and open minds so that leaders may advance through the gates of peace and end the abyss of bloodshed, terrorism, and destruction that divides the human family.

O God of justice, hear our cry and save us. Make us heed your word to the prophets; rouse us to the demand of the gospel and impel us to carry it out. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen. (ICEL; 1998)

Offertory Antiphon

 

Offertory Hymn

Poor man Lazarus, sick and disabled,
dip your finger in the water;
come and cool my tongue,
'cause I'm tormented in the flame!  He had to eat crumbs from the rich man's table
dip your finger in the water;
come and cool my tongue,
'cause I'm tormented in the flame!


I'm tormented in the flame!
I'm tormented in the flame!
 Dip your finger in the water;
come and cool my tongue,
'cause I'm tormented in the flame!

Rich man Divies, he lived so well.
Dip your finger in the water;
come and cool my tongue,
'cause I'm tormented in the flame!
And when he died, he went straight to hell.
Dip your finger in the water;
come and cool my tongue,
'cause I'm tormented in the flame! [Refrain]

I love to shout, I love to sing.
Dip your finger in the water;
come and cool my tongue,
'cause I'm tormented in the flame!
I love to praise my heavenly King.
Dip your finger in the water;
come and cool my tongue,
'cause I'm tormented in the flame! [Refrain]

Communion Antiphon

Closing Hymn

I am a poor wayfaring stranger While trav’ling through this world of woe, Yet there’s no sickness, toil, nor danger In that bright world to which I go.

I’m going there to meet my Father, To dwell with Him, no more to roam. I’m only going over Jordan. I’m only going over home.

I know dark clouds will gather ‘round me. And tho’ my way be rough and steep, Yet golden fields lie out before me, Where weary eyes no more shall weep.

I’m going there to see my Savior To sing His praise forevermore I’m only going over Jordan. I’m only going over home.

I’ll soon be free from every trial, My body rest beneath the sod. I’ll drop the cross of self-denial And fall before almighty God.

I’m going there to join my loved ones Gone on before me, one by one. I’m only going over Jordan.

I’m only going over home. I’m going to wear a crown of glory When I come home to that bright land. I’m going to sing salvation’s stor.

Together with that sacred band. I’m going there to live forever, And cast my crown before the throne. I’m only going over Jordan. I’m only going over home.